Cooking the NYTimes and Other Assorted Retirement Activities

  Our adventure today was a boat trip in Ha Long Bay, navigating amongst a minute number of the 1,969 islands.  Formed 40-50 million years ago through a combination of geologic uplift, erosion and weathering, these breathtaking limestone formations cover approximately 167 square miles.  For my part, the most awe filled moments were when the boat motored between some of the formations.  At one point, I was concentrating on the rocks to the left, and when I turned to the right, I was taken aback at the rocks equidistant to that side of the boat. Given the magnitude of the area, it was difficult to take pictures that would come near to reflecting what it was like experiencing in person.  Here's a few of the shots I did get:  Our internal clocks seem to still be setting...and resetting...and setting again.  Around the ship, it's not uncommon to see people using all the wonderfully comfortable soft seating to nap.  Each of the 4 of us are operating jus...

  Last evening, the ship's tour director gently prepared Orion guests for what they might encounter on excursions into Hanoi and its environs.  She reminded us that the guides are not native English speakers; some are more fluent with the language than others.  The pace of life in Hanoi is as frenetic as you may have seen on TV.  It's not only hot, but humid.  At the end, I felt like she did a nice job of managing expectations, with an undercurrent of not sure why you people came on this cruise, Egypt is much nicer. With that in mind... The ship pulled in Ha Long Bay early in the morning, a beautiful way to greet the day.  It is  based on a legend that dragons sent by the gods helped protect Vietnam from invaders by dropping jewels and jade into the sea, forming the islands.  Dragons loom large in the history of Vietnam.   On the drive into Hanoi, our tour guide provided an overview of Viet Nam's history, which, I've decided, is an appro...

  Greetings from the Other Side of the World, Day 4: Working Hard to Have Fun Today was a day at sea, meaning a lot more work for the ship's crew since all nearly 900 passengers were on board from sun up to sun down.  The day's itinerary reflected ample opportunities to engage in activities with your fellow voyagers...or you could do nothing.  Totally up to you. I brought the Viking Daily to breakfast so we could plot out what we might want to do: which lectures to attend; which games to play; which meals to eat and where; which pools and hot tubs to sink into.  This necessitated frequent referencing to the Daily throughout the day because we were challenged to recall which activity occurred at which time and how it fit into the other events that appealed to us.  From a retired professor, we learned about how we are star dust or nuclear waste, depends upong your perspective.  Came in third in trivia--the general knowledge question, to which I take umbrage, ...

  There are more than a few benefits to taking a Viking cruise, and I have no intention of being a marketing mouthpiece for the company, just calling it like I see it, naturally, after plunking down a fair amount of SKI dollars (Spending my Kids' Inheritance) on this trip and also conducting my due diligence comparing and contrasting the various cruise lines that offer a similar itinerary.   First, there is the aforementioned no children, no casino, smaller ship.  Not that I wouldn't want to spend fourteen continuous days with the younger folk, but my experience has been on a cruise ship they tend to run wild while their parents attempt to rebrand the cruise as a vacation rather than a trip, the difference being a vacation is a break and a trip is when you take the kids with.  Secondly, not being a gambler, the no casino is a good option for me.  There are better things to do at sea, IMO, than holing up with flashing bells and lights and screaming winners....

  I have always wanted to visit southeast Asia.  Don't ask me if there was a specific moment or incident where the interest in this part of the world began, because I can't lay a finger on same.  Maybe it was the war with Viet Nam.  Or seeing the movie Bridge Over the River Kwai.  Or reading Graham Greene's The Quiet American.   Or watching M*A*S*H.  Let's just leave it with this is a part of the world I am intrigued by and frankly, never thought I'd have an opportunity to visit. Well, a few years ago, the good folks at Viking cruises (no children, no casinos, small ships) began offering a cruise that began in Hong Kong and ended in Bangkok, with stops in Viet Nam and Cambodia.  Sold! although it took quite a few years to encourage my husband that this indeed was a good idea.  It took a bit longer to sell My Friend Jeanie ™ on the idea; her husband Bill was decidedly more enthused. (A word of warning: if you ever provide your physical address...

  I'm finding it challenging to write, considering all going on in the world.  Anything, well, okay, just about everything in my privileged world, seems inconsequential if not a first world problem.  But I think I can pull out a few threads from a couple things that occurred recently that might not be quite so centralized.  Or maybe not.  You can decide.                                                                            New Number One   Recently I took a good look at the bathing suit I wear to water aerobics and was surprised to see how worn out it was, especially in the rear end area.  After all, this was my "new" suit which, upon reflection, was a couple years old and probably had run its course in chlorinated water....

  After getting a good, close look at the garden, I decided it was perhaps past time to engage in some pruning. This is what it looked like before And this is what it looks like now It still looks a little on the wild side, but trust me,  it's definitely more under control. Since it's the 4th of July, I chose the All-American Vibes playlist from Amazon music, which, to my ears, includes a pretty eclectic selection of songs.  Lee Greenwood's God Bless the USA.  Jimi Hendrix's National Anthem from Woodstock.  Gene Autry's Yankee Doodle Boy.  Toby Keith's Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue, subtitled The Angry American.  Simon and Garfunkle's and also Neil Diamond's America. Back to pruning.  I'm always hesitant to get out the shears and remove a vine or a spent blossom.  Every year, without fail, I check Google (this year utilized Chat GPT!) to ensure that it's okay to prune, then what and how to snip off.  I've made mistakes--pulling out...